


mama, i saw a star tonight

by endlesstories (orphan_account)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-16
Updated: 2013-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-05 11:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/722867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/endlesstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>when harry is a boy of six years old, a star falls into his bed and becomes a boy named louis tomlison. magical & lovely, but still difficult - louis is a star, after all. he has to return to the sky at some point. think, richard siken inspired: “and yes, i do believe his mouth is heaven.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	mama, i saw a star tonight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starseas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starseas/gifts).



> This is my first fic. It's a prompt.

It was three o’clock in the morning on a summer night, and Harry was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. He had just awoken from a dream. Not a bad dream in particular, in fact, he couldn’t really remember what had occurred in the dream. All he knew was that too many things were running through his mind for him to fall asleep once again.  
It was incredibly dark in Harry’s room, which scared him. He was too scared to ask for a night light from his mother; he thought she would think of him as babyish. But the dark scared Harry; it felt like it was closing in on him whenever it surrounded him, like it would swallow him whole. Harry much preferred the light, at least it was pleasant when it surrounded him.  
Harry’s mum was always working, trying to find the money to support him and his sister Gemma. Whether it was at home on the computer or in the office she worked at, she didn’t find much time for Harry and Gemma.  
As for Gemma, Harry felt he had never really had her as a sister. She was always bossing him around, and whenever she babysat him (which was quite often,) she would always take charge of him to the point where he couldn’t leave her sight. Other times, she just ignored him. She spent more time with her friends than she did with him. She would never play with Harry, being a few years older, she wasn’t particularly interested in drawing or playing with stuffed animals.  
Harry wasn’t the most social at school, and was quite introverted. The other boys at his school played with cards, or played computer games, things that didn’t interest Harry. Whenever he happened to make a friend, his mum was always too tired to have let Harry have people over for playdates.  
He sighed, and looked to the foot of his bed. Suddenly, he saw a beacon of light. At first he thought it was the moonlight reflecting on his bed, but looking closer, it was an actual spark.  
He pulled the covers off him and leaned forward to investigate. He slowly pulled his finger towards the spark. It burned to the touch. He winced, and pulled away. Suddenly, he saw the spark growing, and continuing to grow.  
Harry was in awe. The light started growing more and more rapidly by the second. It grew until it was almost the size of Harry. Suddenly, it started going out. The light turned down. Next thing he knew, Harry saw a boy sitting on the edge of his bed.  
It was dark, but Harry could see the boy. He had caramel colored hair, and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a T-shirt that was slightly torn at some edges, and frayed jeans.  
Harry was speechless. He had never heard of a situation like this occurring. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins.  
“He-hello?” Harry managed to croak out.  
“Hello!” Louis smiled. “Who are you?”  
“I’m Harry- who, and what are you?” said Harry; scared, and confused.  
“I’m Louis. Louis Tomlinson!” responded Louis. “I’ve never been this close to a human before!”  
“What? You’re not human?” asked Harry.  
“No, I’m a star!” replied Louis, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
“Like, from the sky? Stars aren’t live! They’re thousands of miles away, and huge!”  
“You’re right about the first one!” responded Louis.  
Harry was still in shock. He didn’t know what to say to a star. He had never been taught this in school, and certainly not by his mom.  
“How old are you?” inquired Harry.  
“Technically, I’m an eternity.” replied Louis.  
“You don’t look that old,” said Harry.Louis shrugged.  
“Where’s your parents?” asked Harry curiously.  
Louis sighed. “They’re still in the sky. I don’t really want to go back to them, to be honest.”  
“Why not?” asked Harry.  
Louis shrugged. “They tire me. They expect so much of me...always wanting me to shine brighter and brighter...I can’t do everything they say. Which is one reason why I came here.”  
“What’s the other?” asked Harry.  
“Earth just looks so intriguing...It drew me in. I found myself getting closer and closer, and next thing I knew, I’m here!” responded Louis.  
Harry’s mind was racing at a million miles per hour. Who was this mysterious child at the foot of his bed? Was he really a star? Where would he stay? All this thinking made was tiresome, so he lay down.  
“I’m going to go to sleep, you can as well if you would like. We can talk in the morning.” Harry closed his eyes, and slowly nodded off with curious thoughts about this strange boy that had appeared in his room.  
Louis was intrigued. He had never slept before; his parents wouldn’t let him. They always wanted him to just shine without stopping. He looked at Harry; laying on his side, his mouth open, inhaling and exhaling. At that moment, Louis wondered what it would be like to sleep. Maybe it was something he wanted to try while he was on earth.

\----

The next morning, Harry woke up to see Louis watching him. At first he was startled, but then he remembered what had occurred last night. He stared up at Louis.  
“Good morning,” croaked Harry.   
“Good morning,” replied Louis.  
Suddenly, Harry heard a knock on the door. His eyes widened in surprise. He thought fast.   
“Quick! Hide!” He said to Louis.   
“Wha-” Louis was interrupted by being pushed under Harry’s bed.  
“Come in!” hollered Harry towards the door.  
His mother, Anne stepped in. “Breakfast is ready. Come down when you can,” she said to Harry.  
Harry sighed. “Be right down, mum.” Anne closed the door.   
“You can come out now,” said Harry to Louis. Louis crawled out from under the bed.  
“Why can’t you tell your mum about me?” asked Louis.  
“She isn’t going to believe that you’re a star, and she might call the police on you! And besides, I want you to be my secret,” said Harry, suddenly hoping Louis’s company would last. “She may find out, though.”  
Louis shrugged. “Whatever works,” he said.  
Harry got up from his bed. “Do you want something to eat? I could bring you up something, if you would like.”  
Louis smiled. “No thank you, I’ve never eaten real food before. Us stars don’t need to eat, even though we need energy to shine.”  
“Well, I’m going to have to go downstairs to eat. I’ll be right back up, I promise,” said Harry, as he exited the room.  
Harry bumped into Gemma in the hallway. He gasped, startled. Gemma looked down upon him.  
“Who were you talking to?” she asked.  
“Uh-no one!” said Harry nervously.   
Gemma looked sceptical. “Okay, whatever you say.”  
\-----  
Over the next few weeks, Harry found himself attached to Louis. Louis was cheerful and bright. They sat in Harry’s room for hours, playing with Harry’s toys, and speaking about their lives. Harry also managed to keep Louis a secret from his family, which wasn’t that hard considering he didn’t see them very often. They didn’t ask why he was so confined to his room.  
Louis may not admit it, but he enjoyed life on earth much more than in the sky. He knew he’d have to go back at some point, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. His parents most likely didn’t realize his absence. Louis didn’t want to tell Harry that he would have to go back, he liked Harry’s company. He also didn’t want to disappoint Harry, he knew Harry enjoyed his company as well.  
Louis found out a lot about Harry in their time spent . He found out that Harry had found his life mundane, and had always wanted a brother. He also found out that Harry’s step dad had left his family recently, and his mom was constantly at work to support the family. He found out that Harry had never really felt like he had Gemma for a sister, or like she genuinely cared about him.  
Harry found out that Louis’s mother was the sun; the biggest, most significant star of all. He also found out that Louis’s father was the moon, which was why the sun made the moon glow at night. He found out that the moon changed every month, from full to crescent. Louis said that this was the moon’s cycle, because the sun couldn’t always provide light for the moon. Harry liked to think him and Louis were like that, that Louis was the sun providing a glow for Harry; the light of his dull life.  
One night, Harry and Louis were in the backyard looking up at the sky. Louis was looking up at it with a certain sadness. Harry thought maybe Louis was homesick, and asked him so.  
“No. Quite the opposite, in fact,” replied Louis.  
“Are you ever going to go home?” asked Harry.  
Louis looked him in the eye. “It’s going to have to happen sometime soon, Harry,” he said with sadness in his voice.  
Harry felt his heart sink. He had enjoyed Louis’s company, and hoped he would never leave. However, he knew Louis had to.  
Louis smiled, and put a supportive arm around Harry. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back someday, I hope.”  
“Where were you, in the sky?” asked Harry.  
Louis pointed to a place in the sky next to the moon. “That’s where I would have been, that is, if I was still up there.”  
“Can you teach me the constellations?” Asked Harry.  
And so Louis did. He took Harry’s wrist, and made him point around the sky to each of the constellations. He pointed from Orion’s belt to the big dipper to the north star, and showed him all the zodiac signs. Harry wondered what it would be like to be a star. Not very fun, according to Louis.  
“C’mon. Race you back to the house!” said Louis cheerfully. Harry and Louis proceeded to run under the moonlight. It was the first time in a while that they felt free.  
One thing of Harry’s that Louis liked was Harry’s twilight turtle. It casted stars across the ceiling at night within the dark of Harry’s room. It was a good reminder of what it was   
like to be in the sky for Louis, even if he didn’t completely enjoy it.

\-------

Overtime, Harry noticed Louis getting brighter. There was suddenly a glow emanating from him; getting brighter by the day. Harry asked Louis about this glow when he noticed it was especially bright.  
Louis sighed, and looked to the floor sadly. “I am going to have to go back to the sky.”  
Once again, Harry felt that sinking feeling. He had wanted Louis to stay for the whole summer. The boy had grew on him a lot overtime, and Harry knew it would be hard to let him go.   
“Is it your parents making you do this?” asked Harry.  
Louis scoffed. “No, they barely notice I’m gone. I just can’t be away from the sky for too long.”  
Harry felt sympathetic for Louis. Louis deserved to be happy, and Louis obviously wasn’t happy in the sky.

\------

A few nights later, Louis was so bright that Harry was almost blinded by the light emanating from him. By now, he knew that he wouldn’t be with Louis much longer.   
Louis turned his head from out the window towards Harry. “I have to go back tonight,” he said.   
Harry almost felt like crying. He had sincerely hoped that Louis would stay at least a little while longer for him. He looked up at Louis with sad eyes. “But you’ll be back?” asked Harry.  
“I think so,” replied Louis. He put his hands on both sides of Harry’s head, leaned forward and kissed Harry lightly on his forehead.  
The kiss burned Harry, but he felt a sense of longing towards the sign of affection. He missed Louis already.  
Louis went towards the window, and looked back at Harry. “I’ll see you soon,” he said, and smiled sadly. Suddenly, in a quick flash of light, Louis was gone.   
Harry let the tears fall silently from his eyes, and he just hoped that one day, he would see Louis again.

\---------

It was the end of the summer, and there was supposed to be an eclipse occurring. Harry once remembered Louis telling him that an eclipse was a sign of affection between the sun and the moon. Harry told Louis that you could be blinded just by looking at one.  
That night, Harry stood in his backyard looking up at the sky with his family and his neighbors. He remembered the place Louis had said that he was in the sky. His eyes stayed on that place the whole time.  
Harry may have been hallucinating, but he thought he saw the star there flicker a bit. Harry smiled at the thought that somewhere, Louis was thinking of him, and maybe looking down on him at that exact moment.

\-----------

The school year started once again for Harry, but he didn’t forget about Louis, although he didn’t think about him as much. Harry hadn’t really talked to many of his classmates all year.  
Harry was quite depressed without Louis, after all; Louis had been the light of his life. Second grade was a bit boring to Harry; with all the vocabulary words and simple math problems. He had a daily routine of going to school everyday, coming home, doing homework, and sleeping. Nothing much else seemed satisfy him.  
He stared up at his ceiling at night, at all the stars and moons reflecting onto the ceiling. He remembered how much Louis liked the turtle, and went to sleep smiling with happy thoughts of Louis.

\------------

It was a cold winter night, and Harry was laying in bed once again. He wasn’t thinking about Louis, he was thinking about the playdate he had for the first time in a while. He felt like he let Louis down during the play date, and it just didn’t feel right.  
Harry saw a spark of light at the end of his bed, and got a sense of Deja Vu. It couldn’t be...was Louis back?  
Harry saw the spark grow slowly. The spark grew until it dimmed, and Harry could see Louis sitting at the end of his bed.  
Harry looked at Louis in awe. “You came back!” he cried.  
Louis smiled. “I knew I had to.”  
Harry saw that Louis hadn’t went out completely, and he still had sort of a glow to him. “You’re glowing!” pointed out Harry.  
Louis kept grinning. “That happens when I’m happy.”  
Suddenly, the air felt cold around Harry, and Louis looked warm and inviting and well- he was glowing. Harry went forward and enveloped Louis into a hug, realizing Louis was just as warm as he thought.  
Louis let go, and fell back onto Harry’s bed. Harry lay down next to Louis, and curled into him to continue the feeling the heat radiating. Harry closed his eyes, and when he was about to sleep, Louis spoke.  
“I saw you that night, you know,” said Louis. “The night of the eclipse. You were staring at me.”  
“I missed you,” replied Harry.  
“Did you see me wave to you?” asked Louis.  
“Yeah,” answered Harry. “You flickered.”  
Louis watched Harry for a little while before closing his eyes himself. Louis felt himself drifting, almost as if he were falling. He then felt his body shut down, and images ran through his head. He liked the sensation of sleep, and knew that this was what he had been missing.  
Harry knew that he wasn’t being unnecessarily sappy when by thinking that Louis was the light of his life. Harry’s life was dull and boring, and Louis was sure to light it up with his presence. Louis may not shine as bright as the sun, that was his mother’s job. But to Harry, he shined even brighter. Harry was afraid of the dark, but somehow, Louis's presence made it seem much less scary. At that moment, Harry knew Louis was exactly what he needed in his life.


End file.
